Love Runs Out
by DoctorLokiLove
Summary: Post-season 2. A continuation, will involve some of season 3 when it airs.
1. Flying Home

They had reached Starling City after hours of precarious flying. Felicity was grateful for the stable Queen Consolidated plane instead of the one from the last time they flew out. She was more relaxed in the comfy cushions and modern upholstery that surrounded her. Two flight attendants were milling about the front and back of the plane. They only approached if there was something any of them needed. Felicity kept to herself, keeping up with the news and informing Oliver and Diggle when there were any significant improvements. The city was repairing itself from yet another disaster.

Felicity knew that this last fight had changed them all. Oliver had faced a demon so embedded in his time on the island that it was impossible for him to be the man he once was. His well-being was far more worrying than the state of the city surrounding them. The concerned look on Digg's face proved as much. Felicity couldn't blame him though; the city has made a recovery before and although the Glades had seen better days, the need for the Arrow subsists.

They made a few stops along the way in order to refuel, but Felicity was only truly relieved when they had reached solid ground for the final time. The airport was filled with people and it seemed the city had gone back to a semi-normal routine. Police and guards were back at their posts, hostesses were smiling to their coworkers, and pilots were busy prepping for their flights.

However, as soon as they left the building and Digg had driven them back to the heart of the city, they were hit with reality. The body count had to be as much as those they had lost on the East side of the Glades. Monuments were in place, lost and found signs everywhere, and the fear and hopelessness of the people who stood just outside the window forced Felicity to look at her tablet to avoid their glances.

Oliver sat beside her, staring mindlessly out of the window. The silence was deafening and Felicity just wanted to get back to her house and curl under her comforter. She needed to sleep after having stayed awake for almost 72 hours, dealing with head pains from the assault. Her wounds were nowhere close to what Oliver had endured, but he was oblivious to the pain. She distracted herself with her tablet until they made it to her place. She looked to Digg in the rearview mirror, nodded, and then turned to Oliver.

"If you need anything, just give me a call," she smiled, gathering her things. Her purse and small duffle were on her shoulder.

"Felicity-"Oliver called out to her. She turned her head back into the car. "Thank you."

"Yeah, call me when you've thought up a plan?" she smiled and jumped out of the car.

Her street was relatively untouched; there were a few cars that had been ditched from fleeing people, but otherwise there were no signs of disaster. The apartments looked as they had before the attack and when she unlocked her door, she was relieved to see that everything was still in its rightful place. Her old couch sat to the right of the entryway, her TV across from it on the stand with all her movies in the cabinet beneath. Her kitchen, on the other side of the apartment, was exactly as she had left it. Straight ahead of her the hallway was empty and the two doors that lead to the bedroom and bathroom were closed. She sighed, _some normalcy finally._

* * *

Oliver rode with Digg back to Verdant. Since their departure to take Slade back to the island, they hadn't bothered to fix anything. Their hideout was exposed and with Queen Consolidated owning Verdant above, they'd have to move on before anyone came lurking down into the basement. Oliver would have the place cleaned up and looking like a storage facility soon enough. Until then, he'd sleep here.

Digg followed him down the steps, the familiar creaking filling the silence. Everything was as they had left it, ripped and torn apart. Luckily, the cot he'd installed was as good as new.

"QC should be here any day to do something with this place," Digg reminded Oliver.

"I'll have enough time to set everything right," Oliver gazed around the shattered glass. The hideout was a shell of what it used to be and held only bad memories now. He was glad no one was there to experience the onslaught, but he was still washed with anger at the sight of it.

"In the meantime, where are you going to stay?" Digg asked, coming to stand next to him. Oliver's mind was elsewhere and he didn't look to Digg until he was about to repeat the question.

"Here, the bed's not been touched," Oliver gestured to the cot, the sheets still in place. Digg narrowed his eyes and came to put a hand on Oliver's shoulder.

"You could stay with me, or Felicity,"

Oliver breathed heavily; he was expecting them to offer, but he didn't need to use them like that.

"I'll be fine on my own," he walked towards the cot and sat down. He heard Diggle take a deep breath.

"I hope one day you'll realize that you can need us more than you think," Digg murmured. Oliver heard him move away and head back upstairs. Oliver just needed some time on his own. That's all. But he knew that, soon enough, he'd need both their help.

* * *

**AN: Been a while since I've posted anything. I've been helplessly reading everything I can get my hands on for this summer. I've also been traveling, turning over old stones and finding that it didn't want to be sought out. (Family issues ensue). My last two weeks of vacation was spent beautifully in Seattle, WA.**

**I have to thank infamouschelsea for beta-reading this story thus far. I hope to continue this as summer comes to an end. I also hope to make time for it even when school starts back up again. (Start the day after my birthday). So fingers crossed I'll get something out soon!**


	2. Patience

**A/N: I had a little character mistake. I've fixed it now. Sorry!**

* * *

Felicity woke up to the quiet serene of her apartment. After crashing last night, sleep took her prisoner for hours. She slowly opened her eyes to gaze at the clock. It was two in the afternoon. She quickly reached for her phone only to notice no one had called her. She sat up in shock, her heart starting to race. No calls? She couldn't imagine she would be given a day off at work, especially now that Oliver was no longer CEO. As she began to think about it, she didn't know who she worked for anymore. The least they could've done was called her to let her know.

She fell back on the bed, stretching and groaning, trying to loosen her muscles. Jet lag has definitely had its better days. Felicity stumbled out of bed, her body weak and in definite need of a shower. Looking in the mirror, she wasn't surprised to see her hair resembling a bird's nest, and her eyes and lips smeared with yesterday's make-up. She'd fix that later.

Her eyes were drooped, and even after her shower she felt lethargic. She changed into a casual dress skirt and blouse, with a camisole underneath. It was still formal enough if she did have to go into work, but considering the way she is feeling, she's not prepared for a long day behind a desk. She started up the coffee maker, and grabbed her phone from her bedroom while it was brewing. She had decided to send Oliver a message.

Sleeping in feels nice

Please call me

Felicity

She spent some time in front of the mirror fixing her appearance, until someone knocked on her door. For a split second she thought it was Oliver, but after looking through the peep hole, she opened the door to let Diggle in. He was dressed casually, probably staying in as well.

"Afternoon," he smiled and headed towards the kitchen. He grabbed himself a cup of coffee, familiar with her house. He'd done a few sweeps of the place, for sure, especially whenever they felt their cover was about to be blown.

"Heard from Oliver?" she asked, taking a place at the bar stools. Digg handed her a thermal full of coffee and went to grab the creamer from the fridge.

"I was heading over to him, thought I'd come by and pick you up first," he handed her the creamer. He drank his coffee black. The coffee probably wasn't as strong as he would normally take it, but he didn't make mention of it. He even hid his grimace.

"Okay, just need to grab my tablet," she hopped from her stool and placed the cap on her thermos. Back in her room, she retrieved her overnight bag from the plane and pulled out her tablet. She left her bedroom and saw Diggle had finished his cup and was now waiting for her at the door. She slipped on some flats, picked up her thermos, and then grabbed her keys locking the door behind them both. Diggle was driving the motorcycle this time.

"Can't be his black driver anymore," he mused, a small smile on his lips at seeing Felicity's horror. "I have a helmet, don't worry."

"No seatbelts," she muttered under her breath as she climbed on behind him. Digg took the thermos and put it in the cup holder between his legs. She put her tablet beneath her shirt and took the proffered helmet. Diggle helped strap it on and she wrapped her arms around him tightly. She could feel the tablet poking into her skin, but it was the only reassuring feeling she had as they sped off down the street.

With the motorcycle, they were able to make it to the Foundry a lot faster than they would have in a car.

"You can let go of me now," Diggle coughed, trying to pry her death grip from his body. They had made it to their destination. She let go, her hands shaking. "Not so bad, huh?"

"I think I'll stick with my car next time," she scowled placing her feet on solid ground. She could feel her hair in a matted mess atop her head, and vaguely wondered if she could still find her brush in the madness under Verdant. She strode to the back doors with rickety knees, wobbling until she made it to the stairs and managed to land on the bottom step without incident.

Oliver was up, to no surprise, and he had already handled the larger of the messes on his own. The place was looking less like their lair, and more like storage. Felicity's eyes were drawn to the slab of skin exposed to them. Oliver's back. His scars gleamed, his skin covered in sweat. Felicity had to remind herself that what she was feeling had to be suppressed. It did none of them any good for her to develop more of a high-school crush on him.

He dropped one of the dismantled monitors onto ground, curses flying from his mouth as he used his foot to kick it on its belly. Felicity could feel her heart stammer at the sight of the monitor having yet more damage inflicted upon it. She could feel it in her soul. She took a deep breath before approaching Oliver, who was still in a fit of anger.

"What did the monitor do to you?" she feigned hurt, coming to stand at the piece of metal. She was careful not to step on any glass. Oliver's eyes shot to hers in disbelief, his chest rising and falling fast.

"I didn't hear you guys come in," Oliver hesitated before smiling. "It's a bit heavy."

"Why didn't you wait for us?" Diggle asked, coming to stand on the other side where they could each carry a side.

"Couldn't sleep," was all he offered to say. Oliver and Diggle grasped the sides of the monitor and hefted it over to the trash pile Oliver had stacked up. The other monitors were there, in no better shape than the one he had just dropped. Felicity could only imagine how Oliver managed to get it clear over there.

"Looks like it's just sweeping next," Felicity dropped her bag by the cot, and went to find a broom.

When Felicity returned to sweep, she was surprised to see that it was just Oliver standing before her. She didn't hear Diggle leave, not that she minded. His motorcycle wasn't her favorite to ride around on. Oliver's face was contorted as he worked on moving some crates around.

"Where's Diggle?" Felicity inquired.

"He went to get some food," Oliver shoved the crate he was moving one last time before leaning against it. Then, he walked over to another in the corner and started moving that as well. "Start sweeping, we need this place cleaned up soon."

Felicity ignored his snappy request and began to get the glass off the floor. All the while she was considering how to broach the subject that he was in fact homeless. She could offer for him to stay at her house, but she didn't know how comfortable he would be with that. She wasn't one to impose herself, and she knew Oliver didn't want the pity.

But after all he'd gone through in the past few days, it had to be hard for him to put on that stony face. She wondered how he managed to do it with such ease; she and Diggle knew him better than anyone, even his own sister didn't know him well enough anymore. She knew the old Oliver, but it would be hard for her to conceive that he's not the same man he was. Moira saw through that façade, Felicity was sure of it. But it was a hard measure for her, even after all they've done.

She knew Oliver though, and he would be honest with her, so she decided to ask anyways.

"Where are you going to stay?"

Oliver didn't react the way she thought he would have; there was only a small twitch about him. He must've been expecting it.

"I thought you and Digg spoke?" He inquired.

"Nope. I'd like to point out though, that Digg doesn't even have a second bedroom, while I do. I'd be more than happy to house you until you get back up on your feet," it was easy to offer, and she felt right doing it. But she was suddenly crestfallen by his very sad expression.

"I'm alright. I have no plans to stay poor for long," he stopped, standing up straight. "Not that you are."

"Oliver, I know what you mean. Well, at least some of it. How exactly are you not going to 'stay poor for long'?" Felicity tilted her head to the side. Oliver breathed deeply, his chest rising and falling. She mentally chided herself for staring at it for so long, even if it was just for a second.

"I'm coming up with something," he stated plainly. "You don't need to worry. If I need help, I'll ask."

"What are you going to do in the meantime?" she asked, going back to her sweeping. She almost had half the place cleaned up now. The glass was all in a neat pile in the center of the room, away from the moving boxes. That side was already cleaned up, Oliver must've been up for a long while doing it, or he never went to sleep at all. She couldn't be sure which.

Oliver released yet another long sigh. "I'll deal with it." He said quickly, his way of saying _we're done with this subject_. Felicity didn't like where it went, but Oliver wasn't as dependent on people as much as he probably was before they met. That didn't mean he couldn't, and he was in a pretty desperate situation. She thought he'd want to make things easier for himself now that he's got actual friends that can help him out. She was wrong. And right now, she hated that more than anything.

They managed to clean up the basement without further incident, and when Diggle came back with their food they'd just stowed the broom and dust-pan in the storage closet. They decided to eat on one of the smaller boxes, Felicity in between her two boys.

Whilst they were eating, there was an obvious discomfort between the three. Unlike the other times when there had been fights or awkward introductions, this one was starting to feel like stepping into a whole new territory. Felicity didn't like it, and she could see a scowl on Oliver's face while Digg tried to hide his behind his burger. She couldn't blame them. Oliver was in need of help, but he refused it, all the while still wanting them around like it never happened. It hurt Felicity to know that her friend was going through a rough patch; losing his mother had probably tipped him over the edge. But Felicity wanted to do more than just sit around, eating burgers in their old hideout.

She'd considered while they were eating that she'd just take Oliver's stuff over to her house, anyways, in case he did decide in the middle of the night that he'd take the couch. But she didn't get the chance when her phone rang in her purse.

She hopped down from the box and pulled out her phone. She was surprised to see that it was QC, and she wondered who exactly would be calling her. She answered it tentatively, worry seeping in.

"Ms. Felicity Smoak?" a man was on the other line, he sounded quite handsome. She nodded her head before realizing they were talking over the phone.

"Yes?" she asked, trying to regain her bearings.

"My name is Ray Palmer, I'd like to meet with you at Queen Consolidated whenever you get the chance. I'll be taking over CEO until further notice," he was so professional, yet so relaxed. It unnerved her, but she quickly responded with equal professionalism.

"Of course, I can meet you now if you'd like?" she asked, turning her back on the men behind her, both of them looking at her with intensity.

"That'd be great, I'll be in my office," he hung up before she could say 'goodbye'. She stared at her phone, and for a while she couldn't process the conversation she just had. That was her new _boss_, and when she looked to Oliver, she couldn't help but feel regretful that he'd lost everything. She wanted Oliver back as her boss, not this new guy, even if his voice does sound like melted honey.

Digg and Oliver cocked their heads at her, waiting for her to speak. She gained her courage and spoke easily to them as if it were another mission.

"I'm needed at QC, I'll need one of you to text me where we'll be meeting tonight," she knew she was being brusque, but she didn't have the patience for them at the moment. She grabbed for her purse, stuffed her phone in its selected pocket, and then slung the strap over her shoulder. She glanced back at the men, who were staring at her incredulously. "Bye!"

* * *

**Thank you guest for pointing out my mistake! I swear, I know my characters, I had a dumdum moment!**


End file.
